PARKVILLE, MO. ? Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self did his best to warn everybody at The National that his golf game wasn’t up to par due to lack of time on the links.

Self’s words might have proved his humility more than his honesty.

Self and Kansas City golf icon Tom Watson teed up Tuesday against Kansas City Royals legend George Brett and PGA Champions tour member Bruce Lietzke in a celebrity skins match preceding this week’s Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am. Brett and Lietzke won $17,000 for their selected charities, while Self and Watson earned just $3,000.

Never one to resist a joke, Self time and time again applauded the rest of the foursome while making light of his own rustiness. Self, who played for the Scott Carter Foundation, claimed he hadn’t golfed since August.

“The only thing wrong with this foursome,” Self said, “was yours truly.”

Granted, Self was no Watson, who dazzled the gallery with outstanding shots throughout the nine-hole competition. But at the same time, Self was hardly the bum golfer he led everyone to believe.

“Bill’s a good golfer,” Watson said. “He can hit it a long way. He’s got good hand-eye coordination.”

Self and Watson won just two holes in the event, played on the back nine at The National, a course designed by Watson. Lietzke and Brett won four, including the 18th hole that was worth $10,000. The teams were tied on three other holes, resulting in the purse carrying over to the next hole.

With two golfers per team, the celebrities and golfing professionals alternated shots, making Self a crucial part of the pair.

“There was pressure,” Self said. “I’ve been nervous before big games, but nothing compares to this.”

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, right, watches his shot along with playing partner Tom Watson during the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am Skins Game. Self and Watson lost the charity event to George Brett and Bruce Lietzke Tuesday at The National in Parkville, Mo.

For the most part, Self held his own.

He did shank a few shots, including one that went about 30 yards into a creek on No. 18. Fortunately for Self and Watson, the ball ricocheted off a rock and skipped perfectly into the middle of the fairway.

Watson, who had won the past three skins games playing with former KU coach Roy Williams, sympathized with Self, who was making one of his first public appearances since being hired by KU last month.

“He’s in a different arena,” Watson said. “He’s new. He doesn’t want to look like a hacker out here. He showed he can play under pressure.”

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No rush: Self still hasn’t filled the final coaching vacancy on his staff and said prior to his nine holes Tuesday that he probably wouldn’t anytime soon.

“I’m not in the hurry to do it,” Self said. “I’m going to get a chance to evaluate everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and make a decision after that.”

George Brett, left, and Kansas basketball coach Bill Self chat during the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am Skins Game. Brett and Bruce Lietzke defeated Self and Tom Watson in the charity event Tuesday at The National in Parkville, Mo.

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Royal memories: Self met Brett, who played for the Royals from 1973-1993, for the first time on the driving range Tuesday. Self, a lifelong Midwesterner, couldn’t help but flash back to the glory days of the Royals, when Brett led the Kansas City charge to a 1985 World Series title.

“My first time at Kansas, I got here just in time to see Game 7 in ’85,” said Self, who was a graduate assistant to KU coach Larry Brown for the 1985-86 season. “That was awesome. I’ve always been a big fan of his.”

Now, he may have a new friend. Brett, who was flaunting a KU putter after the skins game, enjoyed playing with Self.

“He was a perfect gentleman and a great guy,” Brett said. “He’s a lot younger than I thought he was. Hopefully, this is the start of a friendship between he and I, with a lot of golf and a lot of KU basketball games.”

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No town for Self: Just before the start of the skins game, longtime Kansas City radio announcer Bill Grigsby informed the crowd of about 200 that a town in Great Britain had been named Watsonberg in honor of Watson’s dominance on the links during past British Opens.

Self quipped, “I can assure you, there will not be a town called Selfberg after you see me play here.”